Why isn't Breaking Bad more popular?

Last updated 10:40 13/07/2012

I love Breaking Bad. But I often wonder: why don't more people love it as much as I do?

It's not just me, either. Breaking Bad is widely considered to be one of the best, if not the absolute best, show on all of television right now. No less than 35 different critics included it on their Best Of 2011 lists. Nine of those critics named it their #1 show of the year after its truly astounding fourth season.

The fourth season started on Four last night with an episode titled Box Cutter*. The much-anticipated fifth season starts Monday afternoon (NZ time) in the United States. No date set for NZ, yet.

Breaking Bad has also been a hit at the Emmys: Bryan Cranston (who plays Walter White) won Best Actor for the first three seasons, joining Bill Cosby as the only actors to win three consecutive times**. Aaron Paul (who plays Jesse Pinkman) won Best Supporting Actor for Season 3. The second and third season were also nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. The fourth season will be eligible this year, and should be the hot favourite in those major categories.

Yet, despite the critical acclaim and award season success, mainstream success eludes Breaking Bad. Even though it seems like everyone is talking about it, the ratings are low in the States even by cable television standards. The antics of Walter White have captured the imagination of its niche audience on cable (and through downloads), yet failed to capture a much wider audience in the same way as The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones.

The question is: Why?

Obviously mainstream success is achievable if you're a show being made for cable. Channels like AMC and HBO are often considered the home of quality, niche shows that attract a fairly limited audience; think of something like Treme, a unique show which feels important, but which doesn't grab too many viewers.

But HBO and AMC are also full of shows like The Walking Dead and Game Of Thrones, which have become much larger pop culture phenomena. Perhaps the best example is True Blood: now in its fifth season, it's still one of HBO's biggest hits, grabs large audiences in international markets, and is a part of the larger pop culture picture (due in part to the recent vampire craze). People know about True Blood, they know who stars like Alexander Skarsgard and Anna Paquin are.

The thing is, you could make a convincing argument that Breaking Bad is better than any of those shows. The writing is more interesting than the likes of Mad Men, and more engrossing than the likes of Homeland. The production values and cinematic style match anything you've seen on Game Of Thrones or The Walking Dead. The performances are as good, or better, than any of those shows; Cranston's Walter White is one of the most intriguing characters on television. By the way, I've just put it on a par with four of the best shows on TV right now.

If you ask me, Breaking Bad should be seen by more people, it should get the recognition it deserves, and it should take its place as one of the greatest television shows ever made. It frustrates me that it doesn't draw a bigger audience and isn't a bigger hit than True Blood, which is a ridiculously inferior product; if Breaking Bad were Walt's blue meth, True Blood would be half a paracetamol. (Game Of Thrones would be normal meth in this analogy.)

On the other hand, maybe I'm just biased? It's entirely possible that I'm just drawn to the story on Breaking Bad, and while the performances are extremely good, the show itself is lacking and I just gloss over that fact because I enjoy it. Perhaps the reason Breaking Bad hasn't gone mainstream is that it is a truly niche show with a cult following, and it will never appeal to a mass audience. Unless meth cooks take over from vampires as a cultural fixation.

What do you think: Why hasn't Breaking Bad found true mainstream success? Are you enjoying the third and fourth season, currently airing on Four? Are you looking forward to the fifth season, starting next week? (remember: no spoilers)

(*) The sight of Gustavo Fring calmly getting changed into a pair of overalls, as Walt and Jesse warily eye him up and wonder what is about to happen, is one of the most intense and most disturbing things you'll ever see.

(**) Bill Cosby won from 1966-1968 for his role in I Spy, not for The Cosby Show as I had originally suspected.

Sponsored links

I know that feel. Additionally, FOUR has done a terrible job at promoting this show likely due to it not falling into its comfortable comedy 'How I Met you Mother' demographic. Putting it at 10.15 on a Thursday after COPS + hours of senseless Seth Macfarlane toons seems like a major afterthought. Grow some balls Mediaworks.

Karlos
#2
10:58 am Jul 13 2012

I am definitely looking forward to season 5!

I'm not sure why I like it so much either, a lot of the episodes are quite slow and can be a hard watch, but for some reason I can't get enough. A friend gave me all four seasons to watch a few months ago and I raced through them in no time.

Johan
#3
11:11 am Jul 13 2012

It is probably not popular as most people don't want to watch a show about making drugs. People want to watch a show and feel like they could be one of the characters and who wants to be a meth cook?

I also wonder too when TV critics go on about certain TV programmes and how people should watch them over other programmes that the people who watch the other programmes think I'll watch what I want not what you talk about and won't watch said show because critic goes on about it.

Den
#4
11:24 am Jul 13 2012

A Meth cooker might put some people off.

hastley
#5
11:28 am Jul 13 2012

Thanks for the update about the up and comings... good to know about HIMYM and Homeland, I only watched half of it because it clashed with something else so was going to wait for it to come out on DVD. I'm looking for a new series to catch up on... I was tossing up between Breaking Bad and Mad Men... I may go with Breaking Bad.... Ive heard it's good but never gotten around to sitting down and actually watching it.

Sez
#6
11:29 am Jul 13 2012

I'm with you on this - LOVE this show! I've been hanging out for the 5th season and I won't be waiting for it to screen on NZ tv to see it. Love everything about it - the flawed characters, the dark humour, the twists in the storyline that you don't see coming. Breaking Bad is probably my most favourite TV show since The Sopranos ended. I don't understand at all why it hasn't been more popular - but I suspect it's on the wrong channel. FOUR does tend to be seen by most people in my age group (30's) as being for teenagers and BB hasn't been terribly well advertised. I've converted a few people to it myself (who had never actually heard of it) and they've all loved it.

Jim
#7
12:07 pm Jul 13 2012

There's an old Maxim, some even older friends of mine employ to to determine whether or not we should watch a movie or TV show: Do the critics rave about it? If so, avoid at all costs.

It has stood us in good stead. If critics hate something, you can almost guarantee it is entertaining. If they love it, it will be almost impenetrably dense with hidden meaning and wrought by intellectuals and portrayed by method actors. Boring in other words.

Ant Towler
#8
12:24 pm Jul 13 2012

I'm interested in seeing it but none of the shops around me have it for rent and I'm not sure about blind buying it. But as I can't see the previous series there's not much point in jumping in this late.

Michael
#9
12:25 pm Jul 13 2012

Probably more popular out of NZ, but yesone of my top five shows of all time.

Jimmy
#10
12:37 pm Jul 13 2012

Breaking Bad is my favourite show by far. It is utterly engrossing. So compelling that I watched the whole of season four in two days. I could go on about this show for much too long. Watching the transformation of Walter White over four seasons has been something to behold. "I am the one who knocks!"

Show 11-60 of 87 comments

Post comment

Name:

Required

Email:

Required. Will not be published.

Registration is not required to post a comment but if you sign in, you will not have to enter your details each time you comment. Registered members also have access to extra features. Create an account now.

Maximum of 1750 characters (about 300 words)

I have read and accepted the terms and conditionsThese comments are moderated. Your comment, if approved, may not appear immediately. Please direct any queries about comment moderation to the Opinion Editor at blogs@stuff.co.nz